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What do you think of Specialized?

6925 Views 65 Replies 44 Participants Last post by Miker J, May 24, 2011

gregskitchen

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2011

I have been waiting over 4 months for a carbon 29er.I am wondering what other people have experianced with thier customer service. How are they with warantee issues? Just wondering if I actually do get the bike. What should I expect if I have problems?

Thanks

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reydin

· #2 · Feb 27, 2011

So far my experience with Specialized customer service has been second to none, of corse this can vary from shop to shop and make no mistake your shop will be your fist point of contact when it comes to customer service. I had derailleur issues with my Stumpjumper Comp 29er and I had a new rear derailleur the next day, later I had a problem with a leaking air chamber on S-Works 29er HT carbon Reba and I had a new fork as soon as one was sourced (about a week).
As for your carbon 29er, don't worry, you'll love it. I liked mine so much that I ended up selling the Comp 29er because I wasn't riding it.
Not there's going to be a few (maybe a bunch) of guys that'll tell you all about how bad Specialized business practices are and that they are a bad company for all kinds of reasons which may or may not be valid but to me the bottom line is that Specialized makes sound products and as a company they stand behind them.
BTW I also have bikes from Look, Santa Cruz, Giant and Trek.

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DFYFZX

· #3 · Feb 27, 2011

They're such a big company, if you're not your own advocate you might have a bad experience. Like reydin said, make sure you find a good dealer and build a good relationship with someone at that shop. If the employee(s) likes you you will be better off. I have such a good relationship with my local Trek dealer, he takes A+ care of me even though I don't ride a Trek anymore

skiahh

· #4 · Feb 27, 2011

Whhoooo boy, this should be interesting! Lots of Spec haters out there and lots of fanbois.

Generally, I'm a fan of Specialized (though I wouldn't go so far as to put myself in the fanboi category). Before getting my Pivot, I rode S bikes for over 10 years, from a HT Stumpy to an Enduro to an Epic to a SJ FSR.

I broke the Enduro and they replaced it with a newer model promptly.

Their bikes are generally very good value for the price, well designed and built and reliable. When they do break, their warranty is good in general. I'm not sure if they've changed it or it's always been this way (because I never needed it), but the whole rear triangle is defined as part of the suspension system and thus only covered for one year. That's a bit misleading when they tout a lifetime frame warranty, so understand what you are getting in terms of the warranty.

Bottom line? I wouldn't hesitate to get a S bike if it's the one that suits you.

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kosmo

· #5 · Feb 27, 2011

I don't think any other company puts more engineering into their bikes than Specialized.

Honestly, I kind of hate liking them, because they aren't small and cool, but over the last 5 years, I've ended up with a couple of their bikes, and am very impressed.

They need to get past the silliness of the rear triangle being part of the rear suspension. It's a ridiculous approach, and buys them a lot of ill will.

rom1red

· #6 · Feb 27, 2011

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Slim83

· #7 · Feb 27, 2011

kosmo said:
I don't think any other company puts more marketing into their bikes than Specialized.

There, I fixed it for you.

FreuderLocks

· #8 · Feb 27, 2011

kosmo said:
I don't think any other company puts more engineering into their bikes than Specialized.

Honestly, I kind of hate liking them, because they aren't small and cool, but over the last 5 years, I've ended up with a couple of their bikes, and am very impressed.

They need to get past the silliness of the rear triangle being part of the rear suspension. It's a ridiculous approach, and buys them a lot of ill will.

Buys them a lot of Ill will, like what, existing? No, but honestly, over the last few years I have seen at the least, an effort to, I hate to say 'conform' or at least innovate on the part of Specialized. I might consider one of their bikes now, as Im currently looking for a full suspension bike, there are many other contenders though.
-FreuderLocks

JimInSF

· #9 · Feb 27, 2011

Can't speak to customer service, but my local dealer is outstanding and I put a few miles on a demo Carbon Epic over the course of a couple of full riding days before deciding to go custom and was very impressed.

airdonut41

· #10 · Feb 27, 2011

Slim83 said:
There, I fixed it for you.

And marketing is inherently a bad thing? If it doesn't drive up the cost of the bike to the point where it's more expensive than a comparable competitor, who cares if they advertise? I, for one, would rather see Specialized ads than McDonald's ads.

frdfandc

· #11 · Feb 27, 2011

I like their tires and saddles.

Slim83

· #12 · Feb 27, 2011

airdonut41 said:
And marketing is inherently a bad thing? If it doesn't drive up the cost of the bike to the point where it's more expensive than a comparable competitor, who cares if they advertise? I, for one, would rather see Specialized ads than McDonald's ads.

I think you might have missed the yellow smiley face beside my comment. It was sarcasm, no where did I say it was bad.

Marketing is not a bad thing at all, but I personally don't think they do any more engineering than most of the big companies. I sold Specialized, Giant, and Trek for quite a while and out of all 3, Specialized by far had the most sales pitches I have ever seen. Trek was a close 2nd and Giant was pretty far behind. Marketing makes the world go round and with the right marketing you could sell just about anything. They make some good stuff, but sometimes you really have to weed through the B.S.

PatrickK

· #13 · Feb 27, 2011

They have the fanciest name in the industry. It sells itself. They make th best grips (Enduro ones for $10), excellent saddles, above average frames with mediocre paint job. We have two Pitch Comps and the only part that says Specialized is the frame... I'd rather buy a frame from them than a prebuilt bike.

max5480

· #14 · Feb 27, 2011

They're a huge company that pushes race bikes on people who don't race, mostly because they can get more money from selling the highest end components to rich people who wouldn't know the difference of components except for the price. They're generic bikes but can get away with it because of their marketing and paint jobs. I've owned two Specialized bikes in the last couple years and been unhappy with both. My brother was also unhappy with his FSR, though several years old now. Bottom line is they are average bikes that people buy because of the brand and the fact that professional racers use their bikes, but that's only the case because they offer top athletes more money.

CasteelG

· #15 · Feb 27, 2011

max5480 said:
They're a huge company that pushes race bikes on people who don't race, mostly because they can get more money from selling the highest end components to rich people who wouldn't know the difference of components except for the price. They're generic bikes but can get away with it because of their marketing and paint jobs. I've owned two Specialized bikes in the last couple years and been unhappy with both. My brother was also unhappy with his FSR, though several years old now. Bottom line is they are average bikes that people buy because of the brand and the fact that professional racers use their bikes, but that's only the case because they offer top athletes more money.

I'd love to hear and explanation of how Specialized "pushes race bikes on people who don't race". I don't really understand why you think their bikes are generic either. :skep:

Anyway, I've had good luck with Specialized. The warranty has saved my ass on multiple occasions and their bikes suit me well.

As with any bike or bike company though, it all comes down to personal preference.

gk02

· #16 · Feb 28, 2011

I think what you will find when it comes to specialized is that most customers have been treated well and have pretty good things to say about the company and their products. On the other hand people or companies that have dealt with them from the other end, say as a manufacturer or product vendor, tend to never have good things to say about the company.

My personal experience with them mimics the above and is the reason I stay away from their product if possible.

floydlippencott

· #17 · Feb 28, 2011

max5480 said:
They're a huge company that pushes race bikes on people who don't race, mostly because they can get more money from selling the highest end components to rich people who wouldn't know the difference of components except for the price

Well Duh!!! Poor people don't buy high end bikes , why market high end bikes to the poor ?

roadandtrail

· #18 · Feb 28, 2011

I love their bikes. The epic has been the only FS bike that I can hammer on without getting suspension bob. I also ride a Spec road bike which is amazing. I don't look to the brand of bike I ride to make me feel cool or special. I just think Specialized makes the best engineered bikes money can buy. Even if that makes me generic or unhip.

roadandtrail

· #19 · Feb 28, 2011

btw, Spec replaced the frame on a 3 year old bighit that I cracked, no questions asked.

wyatt79m

· #20 · Feb 28, 2011

I don't like the company, but I don't think you will have any problems with warranty issues.

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